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Evoware Is a Startup Creating Entirely Edible Plastic Wrap

January 2, 2018

Written byJoanie Faletto

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We don't need to remind you that plastic is more or less destroying the planet. Plastic is projected to outweigh fish in the ocean by 2050, you know. But enough about that. There's some good plastic-related news to share (for once), and it's called Evoware.

Seaweed Plastic, It's Fantastic

Imagine ordering a chorizo burrito bundled in food wrap — and sinking your teeth straight into it. That's a very real possibility with Evoware. The company's seaweed-based packaging is "plastic" wrap that is completely edible. Eating your wrapper along with your meal won't throw off your palette; Evoware claims this packaging is odorless and tasteless. (But if you really wanted to, you could customize its taste.) What you will gain from the stuff is nutrition: this seaweed packaging contains high levels of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Bonus: It's Halal certified too!

"We want to create a cleaner world by stopping plastic waste from the root," David Christian, cofounder of the Indonesia-based startup, Evoware, tells Fast Company. The location of this company is significant too: Indonesia is second only to China in creating plastic pollution that ends up in the ocean, and four Indonesian rivers are among the most polluted on Earth.

Lovely Litter

Even if you're not ready to chomp on your wrapper along with your burger, Evoware can make a difference. The packaging is a 100 percent biodegradable, zero-waste product that easily dissolves in warm water. Hey, it even works as a natural fertilizer for plants, so sprinkle it around your garden. This may be one of the few cases when littering is doing Mother Earth a favor.

If you think this product and company is next-level genius, you're not alone. Evoware was one of six winners of the $1 million Circular Design Challenge, a contest run by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and OpenIdeo that focused on finding solutions for small plastic packaging items that rarely get recycled (think seasoning sachets, wrappers, and coffee cup lids). Evoware, as well as the other winners, will participate in a yearlong accelerator program in 2018. Get ready to start seeing seaweed.